College Softball
Canisius College 6, Rider University 1
Canisius College 9, Rider University 5
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
McCool Career Hit 100

BUFFALO, N.Y.—The Rider University softball team was swept at Canisius College on Saturday afternoon in Buffalo, New York in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader.

“The team played hard and competed,” said head coach Tricia Carroll.  “The speed of Canisius got to us a little bit and walks hurt us, especially in the second game.”

In the nightcap, Rider (5-36, 3-11 MAAC) took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run double to left center field by junior Allysen Breeden (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown), scoring freshman Megan McDonough (Olney, Md./Sherwood) and junior Gina McCool (Marlton/Cherokee) who had each singled with one out.

McCool had two of Rider's 11 hits in the second game, including career hit #100, becoming the 47th Rider softball player in 37 seasons to reach that plateau.

“We had 11 hits and five runs in the second game and normally that would be enough but not today,” Carroll added.

Canisius (16-26, 6-8 MAAC) led off the bottom of the second inning with a single and hit a two-run home run to left field, tying the score 2-2.

A two-out RBI double down the left field line gave the Golden Griffs a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning.

Sophomore Emily Cottrell (Beachwood/Toms River HS South) led off the top of the fourth inning with a home run, her fourth of the season, tying the score 3-3.

Cottrell had two hits in the second game.

Three RBI singles in the bottom of the fourth inning and a wild pitch put the Golden Griffins ahead 7-3 and a home run and RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning increased the Rider deficit to 9-3.

Freshman Kaitlyn Kallert (Woodland Park/Passaic Valley) went the first five innings for Rider, scattering 15 hits and allowing nine earned runs.

Freshman Megan Ailand (Burlingame, Calif./Burlingame) threw a scoreless sixth inning for the Broncs with one strikeout.

Sophomore Dana Sensi (Allentown) hit a two-run single in the top of the seventh inning, scoring senior Mary Rossi (Trenton/Notre Dame) and senior Kehli Washington (Lulea, Sweden/New Rochelle) who led off the inning with back to back singles as Rider got to within 9-5 but could get no closer.

“Dana had a nice run scoring hit,” said Carroll.  “And Mary stepped in and played second base after an injury and did a nice job defensively, while also collecting two hits.”

Rossi and Washington also had multiple hit games for the Broncs in the night cap.

In the opener, Canisius took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on a leadoff double, RBI single and run scoring ground out.

Rider got one run back in the top of the fourth inning after junior Amanda Irving (Westminster, Md./Westminster) hit a one out single, eventually scoring on a Canisius error, cutting the Bronc deficit to 2-1.

Irving had one of Rider's three hits in the opener.

An RBI double and Rider error led to two runs for the Golden Griffins in the bottom of the fourth inning as Canisius increased its lead to 4-1.

Canisius used run scoring singles in the fifth and sixth innings for the final score.

Freshman Delany DeMello (Roseville, Calif./Roseville) went the distance for Rider, recording one strikeout and allowing six runs, five earned, while scattering nine hits.

Rider and Canisius split two games in Lawrenceville in 2013 with the Broncs winning the opener 5-0 before losing the nightcap 9-7.  In 2012, Canisius swept Rider 8-2 and 3-2 in Buffalo, New York.  Canisius and Rider split two games in 2011 with the Broncs winning the opener 4-3 and the Golden Griffins taking the second game 13-3. Canisius has won 28 of the 42 games in the series that started in 1991. The Golden Griffins swept Rider in Buffalo in 2010 and the teams split a MAAC doubleheader in Lawrenceville in 2009.

Rider has lost four in a row and 10 of 11 games.

Rider stays in Western, New York to face Niagara University on Sunday morning, with the MAAC doubleheader beginning at 11:00 AM.

“The team is working hard and staying positive,” Carroll said.  “Tomorrow (Sunday) is another day.”

-RU-